VOORHEES, N.J. - The Flyers already were expressing confidence about working their way back to the Stanley Cup finals. Now they have one of the guys who beat them there last year to offer a helping hand.

In a twilight deal that came together quicker than anticipated, general manager Paul Holmgren pulled feisty forward Kris Versteeg away from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for first- and third-round selections in the June entry draft. Versteeg, a member of the Cup-winning Chicago Blackhawks who was traded to Toronto in the offseason, had 14 goals and 35 points in 53 games for the Leafs, but has an edge and an optimistic upside that the Flyers feel will perfectly translate to their forward lines.

In 223 games over four seasons, Versteeg, 24, has rung up 58 goals and 78 assists. For the Flyers, however, he seems to perfectly fit a hole on a line with Mike Richards and James van Riemsdyk, who have needed a shot of offense. He could also be slotted at left wing with Claude Giroux and Jeff Carter, where Richards played out of position Sunday in a 1-0 loss to the Los Angeles Kings.

Wherever he falls, Versteeg will likely be there in time to play for the Flyers tonight in Tampa against the Lightning. It sounded Monday as if he couldn't wait to get there.

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"Right away I was extremely excited to join this team," Versteeg said about playing for his third team in less than a year. "They've had a lot of success this season. They had a great playoff push last year and I'm excited to try and have a good one this year. I like to make plays and score goals at the same time, maybe go out there and be an agitator at times, too. I'm going to try and do it all and have fun doing it."

In a conference call from Tampa Monday night, Flyers coach Peter Laviolette said he and Holmgren had compared Versteeg to a former Flyer that made his presence felt Sunday - Kings forward Justin Williams.

"He can kill penalties, he plays on the power play, he can play on the top line or the checking line ... he just does a lot of things (like Williams)," Laviolette said. "He's aggressive on the puck all the time."

In 223 games over four seasons, Versteeg, 24, has rung up 58 goals and 78 assists. For the Flyers, however, he seems to perfectly fit a hole on a line with Mike Richards and James van Riemsdyk, both of whom have needed a shot of offense. Versteeg could also be slotted at left wing with Claude Giroux and Jeff Carter, where Richards played out of position Sunday in a 1-0 loss to the L.A. Kings.

Holmgren could not be reached directly for comment, but in a statement he indicated Versteeg's versatility would serve the team well.

"He's 24 years old and he'll fit in with our group of players here," Holmgren said. "He's a quality forward that can play in a lot of different roles for our hockey team. ... We think he's a guy that over the last few years, particularly in Chicago, has really blossomed into a good forward and we think he's going to be a really good addition to our team."

The Leafs - last seen in the playoffs taking the Flyers almost to the limit in 2004 - are once more in a selling mode. One NHL management source said Monday that van Riemsdyk was targeted by the Leafs in talks with the Flyers about Versteeg, but that the Flyers would not pull the trigger. That the deal went through with just draft picks in a year in which the Flyers don't figure to be picking until close to the bottom of the first round is somewhat surprising ... if not unsettling.

Versteeg is making $3.08 million per season and is under contract through next year. Yet he failed to stick with Chicago and was said to be a disappointment to Toronto coach Ron Wilson because he didn't meet Wilson's expectations for a top-line winger.

Then again, he was playing with the likes of Phil Kessel and Tyler Bozak, not a young core group of Stanley Cup finalists ready to take one more step.

"Not having to take someone out of our locker room will not disrupt anything we have going," Laviolette said. "And we're adding something to a group that's established and had success. You add a 24-year-old player like this to players like Giroux, Carter and JVR (van Riemsdyk), the young core we have here ... and he's ready to help now."

From the coach's office to the front office to the new addition to the locker room, that's how this move is being viewed.

"The kid's fired up," club president Peter Luukko said. "He certainly is a good addition to our group and will be for some time to come."

How Versteeg fits under the salary cap is a slightly less comfortable matter. By additing him to the lineup and not doing anything with Nik Zherdev, who now only looks like an expensive standby cast member, if not a future castoff, the Flyers might have, oh, a dollar or two left under the $59.4 million cap.

What's more, it seems likely this move at least delays any contact extension talks concerning Ville Leino. He's earning $825,000 this season (an $800K cap hit) and was thought to be in the offing for a new deal early in the season. But when contract extensions were handed to Giroux (three years, $11.25 million) and Carter (11 years, $58 million) the salary cap became an issue. The Flyers carved some space there by demoting Michael Leighton and Matt Walker, but now Leino, 27, might be in for a long wait until Zherdev is gone and/or another change comes into play, perhaps after the playoffs.

"We're trying to make it work now, but it might take until the summer," Leino, who has 13 goals and 39 points and is a plus-19 through 55 games, said Monday prior to news of the Versteeg deal. "I'm just going to play hockey and do as well as I can. Hopefully we will get it done. If not, the playoffs are going to start so we'll play a playoff and then it'll start again.

"I guess we'll keep talking. It's going to be a process, but hopefully we'll get something done. I'd like to stay here, because it's a really good spot for me."